As is well known in the art, fighting fires is dangerous activity. An average of 104 firefighters per year have been killed in the line of duty from 2000-2007. Many of the deaths occur because firefighters get lost or trapped in buildings. They may become surrounded by fire and/or cannot return the way they entered. In many cases, firefighters run out of air in a portable breathing apparatus and perish in the fire. Deaths also occur from stroke and heart attacks due to smoke inhalation.
Firefighters are generally equipped with self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), axes and emergency escape devices. Using these tools, firefighters can cut through walls, for example, in order to find a way out and avoid smoke and flames. If they can get to an outside wall or window in time, they deploy the emergency escape device and rappel down or wait for rescue.